Fern-leaved stenocarpus

Description

Stenocarpus davallioides, commonly known as the fern-leaved stenocarpus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It is a tree with simple or pinnate adult leaves, groups of creamy-green flowers and narrow oblong follicles. Stenocarpus davallioides is a tree that typically grows to a height of up to 40 m (130 ft) with a dbh of up to 160 cm (63 in) and some buttressing of the base. Young plants and coppice regrowth have finely divided, fern-like leaves up to 420 mm (17 in) long on a petiole up to 100 mm (3.9 in) long. Adult leaves are mainly simple, lance-shaped and 50–130 mm (2.0–5.1 in) long on a petiole 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, but some are intermediate, resembling the juvenile leaves. The flower groups are arranged in leaf axils with up to fifteen flowers on a peduncle 15–40 mm (0.59–1.57 in) long, the individual flowers creamy-green and 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long, each on a pedicel 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs in November and the fruit is a narrow oblong follicle up to 65 mm (2.6 in) long, containing up to eight winged seeds. Fern-leaved stenocarpus is native to northern Queensland, where it is found on Thornton Peak and Mount Lewis National Park, ranging from 600 to 1,260 m (1,970 to 4,130 ft) above sea level. Stenocarpus davallioides was first formally described in 1988 by Donald Bruce Foreman and Bernard Hyland in the journal Muelleria from specimens collected by Hyland in 1975. Davallia is a species of fern and the suffix -oides means "like" or "resembling". This speces is rarely cultivated, but can grow in subtropical climates, though its frost tolerance is unknown. Stenocarpus is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. They are trees or shrubs with variably-shaped leaves, zygomorphic, bisexual flowers, the floral tube opening on the lower side before separating into four parts, followed by fruit that is usually a narrow oblong or cylindrical follicle. Plants in the genus Stenocarpus are trees or shrubs with leaves that may be simple, compound or lobed, depending on the species. The flowers are arranged in umbels or racemes at or near the ends of branches and are zygomorphic and bisexual.